Latest news with #JeworskiMallett
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Men who escaped New Orleans jail had hourslong head start before staff knew they were gone
Nearly a week after 10 men escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a fence, five have been apprehended and five remain at large. Authorities believe sheriff's employees must have aided the escape, and three have been suspended. A jail maintenance man is the only person arrested so far and is accused of helping the prisoners. Here is a look at the timeline of events surrounding one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history: May 15 At 10:30 p.m., the jail is locked down per standard nighttime rules. May 16 About 12:20 a.m., prisoners yank open a cell door when the jail's lone guard is away getting food. The men escape through a hole cut behind a sink-toilet unit that they removed. Authorities haven't specified what tools were used to cut through steel bars or how the prisoners got them. At 1:01 a.m., surveillance video captures the 10 men sprinting out of the jail, throwing blankets over a barbed wire fence and scaling it. Some of the men are then seen running across an interstate. A head count at the jail generally starts around 6:30 a.m. and takes less than an hour. However, on this morning sheriff's officials are still verifying whether anyone had escaped more than two hours later, according to Jeworski 'Jay' Mallett, the jail's chief of corrections. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, and Mallett say they are investigating why it took so long for staffers to identify and report that the men were missing. It's not clear exactly what time jail staff noticed the men were gone. Around 8:45 a.m., the jail goes on lockdown. About 45 minutes later the escape is 'officially reported' by Hutson to a law enforcement task force. Around 10:30 a.m., city and state police learn of the escape. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says she learned of the jailbreak indirectly and not from the sheriff. At approximately 11:30 a.m., law enforcement officials hold a news conference about the escape. Around noon, Louisiana state police say they have apprehended escapee Kendall Myles, 20, in the city's French Quarter after a brief foot chase. He was identified by the city's network of facial recognition security cameras. Myles was in jail facing charges of attempted second-degree murder and armed robbery. Officials say he had twice escaped from juvenile custody. The sheriff says three jail employees have been suspended pending an investigation. It is not immediately clear whether any of the employees are suspected of helping with the escape. Officials also don't say if the employee who left to get food is among the three suspended. In the evening, escapees Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis are apprehended separately in the city. Moody, 21, was being held on charges of illegal carrying of a weapon with narcotics, attempted second- degree battery and obstruction. Dennis, 24, was being held on charges including armed robbery with firearm and illegal carrying of a weapon during a crime of violence. May 19 A fourth escapee, Gary C. Price, 21, is taken into custody in New Orleans. He was originally held at the New Orleans jail on charges of first-degree murder, domestic abuse and aggravated assault. May 20 Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the jail, is arrested and held on $1.1 million bond. Williams is charged with 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. Authorities say he has admitted he turned the water off in a cell before the men slipped away through the hole behind the toilet. They say he told investigators an inmate threatened to stab him if he didn't help. Michael Kennedy, Williams' appointed attorney, says 'we have every intention of entering a plea of not guilty.' State police confirm that Corey Boyd, 19, has been apprehended. Boyd was being held on second-degree murder charges. Hutson, the sheriff, temporarily suspends her reelection campaign, saying, 'Now is the time to focus on security, accountability and public safety.'
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Associated Press
Men who escaped New Orleans jail had hourslong head start before staff knew they were gone
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly a week after 10 men escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a fence, five have been apprehended and five remain at large. Authorities believe sheriff's employees must have aided the escape, and three have been suspended. A jail maintenance man is the only person arrested so far and is accused of helping the prisoners. Here is a look at the timeline of events surrounding one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history: May 15 At 10:30 p.m., the jail is locked down per standard nighttime rules. May 16 About 12:20 a.m., prisoners yank open a cell door when the jail's lone guard is away getting food. The men escape through a hole cut behind a sink-toilet unit that they removed. Authorities haven't specified what tools were used to cut through steel bars or how the prisoners got them. At 1:01 a.m., surveillance video captures the 10 men sprinting out of the jail, throwing blankets over a barbed wire fence and scaling it. Some of the men are then seen running across an interstate. A head count at the jail generally starts around 6:30 a.m. and takes less than an hour. However, on this morning sheriff's officials are still verifying whether anyone had escaped more than two hours later, according to Jeworski 'Jay' Mallett, the jail's chief of corrections. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, and Mallett say they are investigating why it took so long for staffers to identify and report that the men were missing. It's not clear exactly what time jail staff noticed the men were gone. Around 8:45 a.m., the jail goes on lockdown. About 45 minutes later the escape is 'officially reported' by Hutson to a law enforcement task force. Around 10:30 a.m., city and state police learn of the escape. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says she learned of the jailbreak indirectly and not from the sheriff. At approximately 11:30 a.m., law enforcement officials hold a news conference about the escape. Around noon, Louisiana state police say they have apprehended escapee Kendall Myles, 20, in the city's French Quarter after a brief foot chase. He was identified by the city's network of facial recognition security cameras. Myles was in jail facing charges of attempted second-degree murder and armed robbery. Officials say he had twice escaped from juvenile custody. The sheriff says three jail employees have been suspended pending an investigation. It is not immediately clear whether any of the employees are suspected of helping with the escape. Officials also don't say if the employee who left to get food is among the three suspended. In the evening, escapees Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis are apprehended separately in the city. Moody, 21, was being held on charges of illegal carrying of a weapon with narcotics, attempted second- degree battery and obstruction. Dennis, 24, was being held on charges including armed robbery with firearm and illegal carrying of a weapon during a crime of violence. May 19 A fourth escapee, Gary C. Price, 21, is taken into custody in New Orleans. He was originally held at the New Orleans jail on charges of first-degree murder, domestic abuse and aggravated assault. May 20 Sterling Williams, a maintenance worker at the jail, is arrested and held on $1.1 million bond. Williams is charged with 10 counts of principle to simple escape and one count of malfeasance in office. Authorities say he has admitted he turned the water off in a cell before the men slipped away through the hole behind the toilet. They say he told investigators an inmate threatened to stab him if he didn't help. Michael Kennedy, Williams' appointed attorney, says 'we have every intention of entering a plea of not guilty.' State police confirm that Corey Boyd, 19, has been apprehended. Boyd was being held on second-degree murder charges. Hutson, the sheriff, temporarily suspends her reelection campaign, saying, 'Now is the time to focus on security, accountability and public safety.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
7 inmates still at large after New Orleans jail escape, officials increase reward
A massive manhunt remains underway in Louisiana on May 18 for seven of the 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail, potentially with the help of jail employees. The inmates, some of whom are facing murder charges, escaped from Orleans Parish Prison around 1 a.m. on May 16. The men pulled a "defective" cell door off its tracks and escaped through a hole in the wall behind a toilet and sink unit, according to Susan Hutson, sheriff of Orleans Parish. By the evening of May 17, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis had been taken back into custody, according to Gov. Jeff Landry. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are still working to find Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, Antoine T. Massey and Gary C. Price. "The job is NOT finished!" Landry said in a social media post. The city of New Orleans and its police department urged residents and visitors to stay vigilant during the manhunt and report any suspicious activity, WDSU reported. The reward for information leading to an arrest has increased to $12,000, according to the Louisiana State Police. Orleans Parish Chief of Corrections Jeworski Mallett said the inmates couldn't have breached the wall near the toilets without outside assistance. 'It was more than just a breach of security, it was some type of help,' Mallett said. Security footage captured the men tampering with a cell door, fleeing via a loading dock and running across a highway. Hutson said a jail employee saw the men escaping through surveillance and failed to report it. "We have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department," Hutson said. The jail housed 1,400 inmates including several "high security" prisoners convicted of violent crimes who required a 'restrictive housing environment that did not exist,' Mallett told PBS. At least three of the escaped inmates are charged with murder or attempted murder, according to parish records. Myles, Moody and Dennis ‒ the three recaptured inmates ‒ were awaiting trial on various felony charges, including attempted murder, armed robberies, aggravated assault, battery, extortion, illegally carrying weapons and illegal drug possession offenses, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office inmate records. Price, 21, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. Donald, 42, is charged with second-degree murder. Massey, 32, is charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Parish records. It is unclear what additional charges the inmates might face following their escape. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Jonathan Limehouse, Karissa Waddick and Michael Loria, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 inmates still at large after New Orleans jailbreak, reward increased
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Fox News
Video shows 10 inmates escape from jail in New Orleans as manhunt continues
Newly released video shows the moment nearly a dozen inmates fled from a New Orleans jail in a brazen escape early Friday. Video cameras captured 10 inmates breaking out of a cell and running from the facility, before the group scaled a fence, using blankets to protect themselves from barbed wire, and ran across an interstate to a nearby neighborhood where they changed clothes. Officials said the video feed was not being actively monitored at the time, but it was reviewed after the inmates were discovered missing hours later. The gaping hole used by the escapees, which appeared to have been hidden behind a toilet, was in a first-floor jail cell. Inmates wrote "To Easy LOL" and "WE INNOCENT," among other things, near the large rectangular hole. It is unclear whether the opening was created by the inmates or if it was already present. Chief of Corrections Jeworski "Jay" Mallett said the hole could not have been created from the inside. "We know that this could not be removed from the inside, so we are investigating that to see exactly who entered these areas, what kind of work was done, if there was work being done and if this is an inside job," Mallett said. The escaped inmates, some of whom are charged with violent offenses, including murder, were being held in a minimum-custody site at the Orleans Parish Prison. Among the security issues identified by officials were faulty cell doors and low staffing. The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said. The escapees were not discovered missing until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m. Friday. "This is an urgent and a serious situation," said New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. "Please be mindful. We know or have asked for pictures of these escapees from the sheriff's office. … We do also want to make an appeal to the public that if you see something, and you just think this is not right, don't hesitate. Call 911." The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO) said one of the escaped inmates charged with second-degree murder, Kendell Myles, was found hiding beneath a car in the Hotel Monteleone parking garage. Myles was taken back to the jail by Louisiana State Police and booked again with a new charge of simple escape, according to officials. "The remaining individuals are still being actively pursued, and our deputies, in collaboration with local and state law enforcement, are working tirelessly to locate and return them to custody," according to the sheriff's office. Anyone found to be aiding an escapee will be charged as an accomplice, according to authorities. A violent offender warrant squad is actively searching for the escapees along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. More than 200 law enforcement officers are assisting with the search. The FBI in a statement said it has "surged resources" and is offering up to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest of any of the inmates. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward per inmate. The escaped inmates include: Hours after releasing the names, charges and mugshots of 11 inmates, New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson clarified that only 10 escaped and that a mislabeled inmate had been moved from a different cell in the prison and the prison's compuer system had not been updated. In a statement posted to X, Attorney General Liz Murrill said "someone clearly dropped the ball, and there's no excuse for this." "I'm in communication with Troop NOLA and @LAStatePolice Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It's all hands on deck," Murrill wrote in the post. "The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with state and local law enforcement. "But that effort cannot come at the expense of timely notification to the public, which is also critical to keeping communities safe. My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won't happen again." Hutson confirmed she did not notify any agencies other than the U.S. Marshals Task Force about the escape until 10:30 a.m. Friday. The public was also left uninformed until Friday morning. Victims involved in the inmates' cases have been notified, according to authorities. Murrill said she is calling for a full investigation. "This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability," she wrote. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
